Over the years I've become fond of rum as an evening cocktail before dinner. One problem I've had has been finding high quality rums - rum is a bit late in targeting the premium market. Understanding the different types and reading the labels to find good rums for experimentation has been difficult. Labeling laws in rums are very weak in most nations. After learning a good bit of French, however, I've had a lot of success and write about my results and recommendations here. The style follows my earlier writings on all spirits liquor and on Scotch [see posts of May 29, 2009 and July 27, 2007]. I break the recommendations down by price range. All these rums are stocked in my bar in the "Sword Room" of the bunker.
The best rums in my opinion are made from sugar cane juice, not syrup or molasses. They also are aged in wood casks or distilled in wood pot-stills.
Highest - the best rum I've ever had is a 1970 Clément Rhum from Martinique, "Trés vieux Rhum agricole pur Martinique; vielli en futs de chene". This costs about $230 per bottle, but was exquisite, like a cognac with a rum flavor. Mrs. B purchased this for me after lecturing on a cruise in the Caribbean in the mid 1990s, so it was likely aged 20+ years. The French decription means, "very old, pure Martinique farm rum, aged in oak casks". Martinique has strong labeling laws that are similar to French wine labeling laws.
"Rhum agricole" means farm rum, meaning it is made on the farm with fresh sugar cane juice squeezed at the proper time. Also, "vieux" means "old". Look for those words in rums from French speaking countries.
High - Rhum J. M., a rhum vieux agricole from Martinique also. My particular bottle purchased last week was a 1997 vintage aged 10+ years costing $50. This is 96 proof, so adjust your drink accordingly. This rum is excellent, with a fine flavor that's not oppressive.
Moderate - the Original British Navy Pusser's Rum. About $22/bottle. This is made according the standards and formula of the grog served by the "purser" on British Navy ships for centuries. The quality is very high, and the rum is a blend of four rums all distilled in wood pot stills (instead of metal) for added flavor.
Low - Mount Gay Rum, Eclipse, from Barbados - a golden rum. Costs about $16/bottle, this rum has good flavor and is very mixable.
How to Drink It
My preference is straight rum on ice with a slice/wedge of lime. I let the ice melt a bit to cut the bite of the alcohol. Hence for Rhum J. M. with its high proof, I let the ice melt a bit longer. Then I just sip it. This lets me enjoy the flavor of the fine rum at its peak without excessive dilution.
Don't let conventions push you to drink the rum in some way that doesn't maximize your pleasure for yourself. That is part of the Epicurean philosophy: live simply, but enjoy some things at their best.
Markets
Doing nothing. Looking. Thinking.
Word of the Day
"Jocose" - adjective [$10]
Jocose means 1. playful in style; 2. fond of joking, jocular.
Sentence: This blog often is written in a jocose style that might be a bit too subtle sometimes.
About Me
- Bunkerman
- I have a pioneer mentality. My wife & I live in the woods - neighbors aren't visible except slightly in winter. Our "bunker" - hehe, really a fine home & barn - has plenty of security. We have four dogs: Krypto (age 9, Kelpie), Ava (age 13, Rat Terrier), Sky (Kelpie, age 5) and Lucky Star (age 1, kelpie). I don't take crap from anyone anymore, having enough resources & gear stocked up to survive in any circumstance. I have three degrees from Harvard including a Ph. D. in a physical science, and an MS in Management from MIT. I worked as an investment banker for about 25 years, mainly in secured finance, at three major Wall Street firms and for the last 17 years with my partners at our own firm. I'm semi-retired now, managing some private corporations and business interests and doing my own trading & investing. This is not to boast, but to give you an idea I know a little about some subjects from experience. The photo is my 1943 M16 half-track which I am restoring. These armored vehicles were ubiquitous in the US Army in World War II and Korea. It's driveable.
42 comments:
Bloomberg news story published this morning titled, "Bankruptcy Bloodbath May Hit Muni Bond Owners Next." The story states that "the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression is squeezing municipalities across the country." State and local finances are in horrid shape (see EWFF, p.9 chart), yet unlike businesses, which have shed 8.5 million jobs to cut costs, local governments continued adding employees through September 2008 and have pared back their labor force by just "0.96 percent according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." Bankruptcies, heretofore a rare event for municipalities, should "suddenly" spring to the forefront, as local governments are unable to meet their obligations, thereby impairing the value of the particular municipal debt that they've issued. Even the highest quality municipal bonds should be impaired, at least initially, as fear rises across this broad asset class. We maintain our big "sell" for municipal bonds.
good morning Bman !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
rum makes my tummy hurt........doesn't suit me
listen mav..................just give us the F'ng link !!
if we're interested........we'll click it
that's a worry, mav. The muni market was already hit hard by that fear, though.
So far few have filed BK. To me, it's a buy for select locations.
I do put $ where mouth is here.
found that link bud
www.eatshitanddie.com
roflmao ... good one, mav.
:-)))))))))
ROFLMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
MVP MVP MVP
as Dick Enberg would say "Ohhh my"
Frosty!!!!...call the cops!!!
Call the cobs...oh man...LOL
morning men, have nonono email
RL
1082/1083 = 108.65/108.75 S
1077 = 108.15 M/S
1071.50 = 107.60 M
1067.50 = 107.20 M/S
1063.25 = 106.80 S
1056.75 = 106.15 M
1053.75 = 105.85 M
frosty's trying to talk me into buying that pirahna pool GS, so Mrs. B will have me committed and he can move in.
won't work.
"It began in Athens. It is spreading to Lisbon and Madrid. But it would be a grave mistake to assume that the sovereign debt crisis that is unfolding will remain confined to the weaker eurozone economies. For this is more than just a Mediterranean problem with a farmyard acronym. It is a fiscal crisis of the western world. Its ramifications are far more profound than most investors currently appreciate."
http://tinyurl.com/yj9frrn
Bunky...LMAOOO...busted...eggs and spam breakfast I hope, keep stuffin the sausage king Mrs B, only a matter of time.
my local gun dealer might be ahead of you, frosty. He's ready with nylons & chocolates to get my collection for 5 cents on the dollar.
Bunky...advantage bulls this week...oversold condition being lost as we churn...do we let the bears off the hook opx without any pain at all...it is misdirection day, what shame letting them role forward so cheap, bastards.
the perfect egg...the perfect breakfast..."chop chop woman, frosty hungery"...the end
the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich.....
"how to eat"
with left hand slowly....
GS firm as a Mav tub mate...Mrs. B with a sky fund bid perhaps...atta girl, mum is the word.
I haven't perfected that yet, spin. Maybe you should guest blog it
;-)
loooooool.......
you get snow bunk??>..lil less than a foot here....melting already
ps...48 states in US have snow on ground
perfect omelette..."omelette woman"...the end.
brew me...the end.
ps...48 states in US have snow on ground
nutten.....geez I thought4sure that would fire him up on global warming
ps....Bill Nye the science guy on Maddow MSNBC says its old people that say global warming is a scam...ignoring the facts..is that true frosty??
"is that true frosty??"...let me check Spin...Bunky, is that true.
yup, we got snow. It's mostly old from other storms - never melted; ice how.
that last storm missed us - just got an inch.
Bill Nye the science guy on Maddow MSNBC says its old people that say global warming is a scam...ignoring the facts
sounds like Bill Nye is an idiot swallowing everything the greenies feed him.
sheesh the facts are that it's no warmer now than it was 900 years ago and no SUVs them.
he should read my blog
;-))
I was doing an Italian lesson, btw.
Bill Nye's good pal and neighbor is Ed Begley Jr....do you want to take a few minutes and think that comment over...it's not jeopardy trebek.
Who is Ed Begley Jr ?
I checked.
Look, these guys are idiots who know nothing except what the greenies feed them.
most actors = birdbrains.
ditto blowhards like O'Reilly.
gesh Bunk...lil lace on the eggs this morning...yolk seems a lil tight.
lol, guess I'm tired of these swine trying to cram that garbafge down us.
better go work on some Polish.
put pepper on it Bunk..lool
Why do you ignore Spanish so blatantly Bunkerman?
When I tried to work on it, I got very confued with Italian. They are very, very similar.
So I decided to push the Italian far ahead, and then the Spansih lessons would not cover similar material.
and there's a lot more cultural writings in Italian.
one of my business partners speaks some Italian.
so we can practice on each other on the phone and when I visit NYC.
so we can practice on each other on the phone and when I visit NYC.
lil rums never hurts with the italiano vibrato on the phone...lol
Bunky...Sal would like to know how to say "I would like a dirty sanchez sir" in spanish.
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